Healing Light
by Bunny on the Moon
Summary: ONESHOT, Darkrai x Cresselia, slight movie 10 spoilers. She would rather sacrifice herself than see him in pain.


He had returned - that much she was certain of.

Cresselia barely noticed that her wings were slashing through shrubs as she sped through the forests of Newmoon Island. She failed to notice that she was ripping blades of grass from their homes in the soil, or that wild Starly were being shooed from their nests. All she could think about at the time was _him_.

He'd been gone for a long time; she didn't know too much of the story, but word had it that Dialga and Palkia were involved somehow. Something about them nearly destroying a distant town? She didn't know. All she knew was that one day, she'd stopped feeling his presence, and that was extremely unnerving. Every day that went by, the fear that he'd fallen off of the mortal coil had paralyzed her - if that were the case, then she would fade away, too.

They were opposites, after all: nightmare and dream, new moon and full moon, darkness and light. You couldn't have one without the other, as the imbalance would disrupt existence itself.

Which was why Cresselia was so _relieved_ when she finally felt his presence again, after his many months of absence.

However, there was a problem; his aura was very weak. She'd been surprised that she can even feel it at all, it was that faint, and it wasn't even the same aura she usually felt. Instead of willpower, strength, and determination, she could sense emotions that he'd never displayed before.

Pain, agony, defeat. Anguish. Lament.

_Failure_.

This was why she was in such a hurry to find him - the emotions she could feel in his aura were worrisome, and whatever trouble he'd gotten himself into, it had taken its toll on him.

Eventually, she broke through into a clearing. She could see his cave, but something told her that he wouldn't be there; it was normally the first place anyone would look if they were searching for him, and he knew this - if he was feeling especially reclusive, he would hide anywhere _but_ there, which seemed to be the case this time.

There was that, and the fact that she could sense him right where she was hovering.

"Darkrai? Are you here...?" she called out. A cool breeze blew through the area, and that was her only answer. Cresselia silently hovered there, straining to hear any indication that he _was_ there, and that she wasn't just imagining things.

She knew she wasn't, though. Whether it was simply instinct or the connection they shared due to being each other's counterpart, she didn't know - she just knew that he was there and he needed help.

"I know you're here. Please, come out... I want to help you, if you'll let me."

Silence.

She hung her head, staring down at the grass below. "...please."

Beneath a large oak tree, a shadowy figure rested, camouflaged by the darkness. He'd been there the entire time; he'd heard her traveling through the woods, had seen her emerge into the clearing, and now watched her as she pleaded for him to show himself. He knew she would not harm him, and yet, he could not work up the courage to expose himself. Perhaps it was pride that held him back, as he definitely did not want her to see him in the condition he was in, and, well... pride seemed to overrule common sense.

Besides, it wasn't as if he were dying. Dialga and Palkia's attacks had been powerful, yes, but not enough to kill him outright - only enough to have him retreat to the place he knew best. He knew he couldn't return yet, because then he really _would_ be killed, and who would protect Godey's garden then? It was a foolish decision, he knew, especially considering the danger Alamos Town was in, but... something inside of him told him that it would be alright.

It was the same 'something' that told him that Cresselia would be here, and maybe somewhere in the deepest recesses of his mind, he had been _hoping_ that she would be.

Either way, there was something about the way that she was hovering there, looking absolutely pitiful. Something that forced him to swallow his pride and emerge from the shadows.

"... What are you doing here?"

Cresselia's head snapped back up at the sound of his voice, and a wave of relief passed over her as he came into view.

"Darkrai..." She slowly hovered toward him, not wanting to startle him with any sudden movements - it wouldn't do any good to scare him off when she'd only just found him again. However, as she drew nearer, she began to see just what kind of condition he was in: he had deep red gashes all over (which were barely visible due to his black coloring), scrapes and scratches; even the shadowy extensions hanging from his shoulders barely moved despite the breeze.

"You're hurt..."

Darkrai watched her silently for a moment, his own gaze boring into hers. He could see many things in her eyes - worry, pity, concern, even _sadness_. Such things were rather uncharacteristic of her, unless she was helping someone in need... surely she wouldn't express such emotions towards him. "It... is nothing..." he finally spoke, "I am fine..."

Cresselia wasn't convinced. He could barely even hover straight, much less speak evenly, so why would he think that his injuries were 'nothing'? Why would _she_ think so? "No... you know that's not true," she said defiantly. That was typical Darkrai - always trying to stay strong, no matter what the circumstances were. It was a characteristic of his that she had always admired, but now... all she could feel was pain as she looked at him. Seeing him in this kind of condition weighed heavily on her heart, as if she were feeling as much pain as he was, and she knew she had to do something.

When a few moments passed without either of them speaking, she cast her eyes up to the moon. It was completely full.

"Hold on just a little longer... I'll have you fixed up in no time."

She backed into the middle of the clearing. Her eyes closed as she started concentrating deeply, a new sense of resolve welling up in her heart. Her wings began to glow with a radiant light as she started to twist and spin in midair.

Darkrai watched her, her actions not registering in his mind yet. He knew she was going to heal him - because that was Cresselia and that was generally what she did - but he assumed she was just going to use a simple Moonlight spell. Only when the soft light of the moon continued to evade him, did he realize that this was no Moonlight, but _Lunar Dance_. Her most powerful spell.

She was sacrificing her energy to heal his wounds.

"Cresselia, don't..." he groaned, reaching a clawed hand toward her. Why was she doing this? He was a being of darkness; he didn't deserve to have such a spell used for his sake.

But there she was, full on into the dance. A beam of moonlight flooded the clearing, illuminating everything so that it was bright as the day. As she continued to twirl gracefully, waves of revitalizing energy - _her own energy_ - pulsed through the area. Darkrai could feel his wounds healing over, and his strength returning, but that was nothing compared to the cost of the healing spell; as soon as she finished the dance, Cresselia would faint, and they would be right back at square one, except with their positions reversed.

He would've rather taken the fully-powered attacks from Dialga and Palkia, than to have her offer herself so selflessly for his benefit.

Eventually, Cresselia stopped dancing. Hovering a few feet above the ground, she offered him a small smile before the adverse effects of the dance took over - her eyes closed again, and she began to fall.

His energy completely restored, Darkrai sprang forth from the shadows quicker than a Ninjask. Completely disregarding the residual pain that still lingered in his limbs, he managed to scoop Cresselia up in his arms before she hit the ground. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he slowly eased her body down to the grasses below, her head remaining cradled in the crook of his elbow.

"You know, a simple Moonlight would've sufficed," he muttered softly, ever the tactful one. Looking down at her face, he could see that a faint smile still remained etched across her features. Perhaps she'd felt that her sacrifice had been worth it after all, even if he didn't. But either way, she looked so peaceful resting there in his arms, that he couldn't help but rest a hand against the side of her face in gratitude.

And above them, the moon still glowed brightly.


End file.
